


Have a Waltz With Me

by Const3llations



Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE
Genre: Angst probably idk, Awkward Romance, Drabbles, F/F, Fluff, Minnie is a queen, Miyeon is clueless, Multiple Relationships, One Shot Collection, Shuhua is too adorable, Slice of Life, Soojin just wants a hug, Soyeon is a mess sometimes, Yuqi is constantly hungry, taking requests
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 10,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28292808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Const3llations/pseuds/Const3llations
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles about how the idols could have met, or how they fall madly in love with each other. First chapter is the table of contents.
Relationships: Don't feel like typing out every single combination, I'll do them all, Seo Soojin/Yeh Shuhua
Comments: 26
Kudos: 125





	1. Table of Contents

_**T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S** _

* * *

**Chapter 2:** ice, ice, baby {Soyeon x Soojin}

 **Chapter 3:** art {Soyeon x Miyeon}

 **Chapter 4:** look at me (again) {Soojin x Shuhua}

 **Chapter 5:** the way your eyes glow (in the dark) {Soojin x Shuhua}

 **Chapter 6:** nevermind {Yuqi x Shuhua}

 **Chapter 7:** one night {Miyeon x Minnie}

 **Chapter 8:** sleepy {Soojin x Shuhua}

 **Chapter 9:** puppy love {Yuqi x Soyeon}

 **Chapter 10:** bookworm {Soojin x Shuhua}

 **Chapter 11:** our future pt. 1 {Miyeon x Shuhua}

 **Chapter 12:** our future pt. 2 {Miyeon x Shuhua}

 **Chapter 13:** shirt {Soojin x Shuhua}

 **Chapter 14:** twenty seconds of courage {Miyeon x Minnie}

 **Chapter 15:** i love you {Yuqi x Soyeon}

 **Chapter 16:** emergency {Soojin x Shuhua}

 **Chapter 17:** new year {Soojin x Minnie}

 **Chapter 18:** blind date {Yuqi x Soyeon}

 **Chapter 19:** firefly {Shuhua x Minnie}

 **Chapter 20:** kiss the chef {Soojin x Shuhua}


	2. ice, ice, baby

For the life of her, Soyeon couldn't tell you why she had chosen to step onto the skating rink. She couldn't tell you what had compelled her to listen to Miyeon, her best friend, who had convinced her to come in the first place. She couldn’t even roller skate properly. She would much rather have spent the night playing her piano. At least she was good at that

Light bulbs on strings were laced around the converted rink lazily. The smell of fresh hot chocolate was ripe in the cold air. Classic Christmas tunes blasted out of a 1980s boombox. The entire place had a hearty feel to it, even if it was small. 

"Argh!" Soyeon yelped as she slipped for the upteenth time, falling hard on her butt. She could already sense the soreness that would be there tomorrow. 

Miyeon tried hard not to laugh as she swooped in gracefully, and helped the cursing Soyeon back up. "Be patient, you're trying to force it."

Soyeon clung to the railing and let out a deep sigh. She watched as the other skaters glided effortlessly. "Whatever, it's no use. I'm obviously terrible at this."

"Stop that." Miyeon took Soyeon’s arm and slowly led them back onto the ice. By now, most the skaters were well aware of Soyeon’s misfortunes and were staying clear. "You're thinking too hard, it has to come naturally. Like your music, you can't force yourself to play or sing. "

Despite her persistent pleas, Miyeon didn't let go. Soyeon was losing her marbles. She hated when she failed. Especially with something as stupid as ice skating. 

Once they reached the middle of the rink, Miyeon stopped them and swiveled in front of her, still holding her hands.

"You're going to let go of my hands, ok? I'll be right behind you, just in case." She said with the upmost confidence. "Don't take it too seriously, try to have some fun!"

Soyeon rolled her eyes but still gave her a hint of a smile. "Ok, let's do this."

Nervously, she released Miyeon's hands and tried to make sure that her feet weren't too far apart.

"Good, now gently push forward with your legs...you got it!" Miyeon exclaimed. "Soyeon!"

Soyeon couldn't believe it, she was actually skating. She did her own version of a victory lap around the inner lane, even though it took her over two minutes. She didn't fall down once. 

Of course, nothing could ever be perfect for Soyeon. An invisible force knocked her off balance just as she was turning, causing her to shriek and sent her crashing down to a familiar position. Butt on the ice. 

She tried to scramble back to her feet, but ended up slipping and face planting on the cold surface. She hated her life.

"Oh my god, I’m so sorry!" A silky voice said from behind. "Are you alright?"

She caught her breath when she rolled over and caught sight of an  _ extremely  _ attractive girl. The first thing she noticed was her eyes, a pair of dark pearls that glistened through her mixture of blonde and black hair. She was sexy. 

"Hello?" The girl asked worriedly. 

Soyeon bit down on the inside of her cheek when she realized that she hadn't responded. "Yeah, I'm good."

To her horror, Miyeon gave her two thumbs up and zipped away, leaving her alone with the cute girl. Seoyon cautiously accepted her outreached hand and carefully stood up, using her shoulders for support.

"I'm sorry about that, I was going a little too fast." The girl admitted sheepishly. "Can I buy you some hot chocolate?"

Up close she smelled like the candy canes that were always displayed at the front of Christmas shops. Out of the corner of her eye, Soyeon could see Miyeon dying of laughter over her situation. Soyeon was notorious for being nervous around girls she found attractive. She was undoubtedly going to hear about this later. 

Her attention turned back to the girl, who was still waiting for a response. Her soft, cuddly expression made it impossible to turn her down, even though it went against everything she believed in. Usually she tried to avoid talking to people, especially complete strangers.

"Yeah, sure."

"Awesome." The girl said with a smile.

Soyeon was barely able to escape the rink and almost collapsed on the hard grass while attempting to unlace her skates.

"My name's Soojin, by the way."

Soojin. The name fit her. And by the looks of it, she was around the same age. 

"Soyeon."

It felt as if it was the start of something beautiful.

And it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello (G)I-DLE fandom. I usually write Percy Jackson and Harry Potter fanfics, but I discovered kpop over quarantine and I got hooked. Especially with (G)I-DLE. Hope you enjoyed this quick Christmas fic. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.
> 
> EDIT: Decided to make this a one-shot collection! If you want a specific pairing, let me know!


	3. art

Miyeon banged her head against the desk and groaned obnoxiously. “I fucking hate this place.”

Her roommate and life-long best friend, Soyeon snorted from the other side as she fixed herself a sandwich. “Just yesterday you said you loved college. What happened?”

She dramatically flipped through the tens of pages of homework that she had to finish before midnight, making sure to emphasize that they were indeed physics related. “This happened.”

“Shit.” Soyeon muttered as she opened the door of their small fridge, barely paying any attention to Miyeon. “We’re out of peanut butter.”

“Didn’t we just buy a jar two days ago?”

“Well yeah, but Minnie came over, remember? And literally ate out of it with a spoon.” 

Miyeon sat and thought for a moment. Two days ago would be...Friday. Oh. Things did get a little weird that day. The three of them had been watching the Queen’s Gambit, and Minnie decided to openly announce that she craved peanut butter when she was horny. Interesting times.

“I’m going to run to the store and buy some more, I’ll be back soon.” Soyeon announced as she shrugged on her hoodie. 

“Ok, be safe.” Miyeon said back and buried herself back into the wretched realm of friction and motion.

After a couple minutes, she slammed the textbook shut and shoved it into her backpack. She couldn’t take it anymore. Why did she even need to take the class when she was pursuing a degree in music? 

She looked over at Soyeon’s workplace, and saw the mysterious art project that she had been working on all semester. Everytime Miyeon tried to get a sneak peak at it, Soyeon would turn into a fierce lioness and banish her to Neverland. This was the first time she had left it out in the open, while being gone from the dorm. 

Guiltily, Miyeon tiptoed over to the desk and flipped open the bland manila folder. 

Inside was a charcoal picture of an unfinished full body portrait of a girl, lost in thought while reading a book. 

It was her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everybody. Hope you had a nice winter holiday if you celebrate them. I can't believe that there's actually this big of a fanfiction community over a kpop group. Literally blows my mind. Thank you for all the kudos, made me smile. Like I said before, if you want a pairing just leave a comment. Peace and love.


	4. look at me (again)

If there was anything that Soojin despised, more than anything, it was grocery shopping. Specifically, grocery shopping with Shuhua. The girl was a tiny inferno of energy that nobody on Earth could hope to contain. Sometimes Soojin had to act more like a mother than a best friend. At least she was cute. Adorable even. She would never tell her that though. The girl’s ego was already big enough, she didn’t need her walking around the place thinking she was the next big kpop idol. 

“Unnie!” Shuhua exclaimed as Soojin pushed the squeaking cart into the cereal aisle. Shuhua was standing at the front, with her arms spread out in a failed attempt to mimic the famous scene from the Titanic (they had watched the movie the night before, and Shuhua replayed it fifty times). 

“What?” Soojin groaned, her attention focused mostly on the phone in her hands. She was busy trying to figure out the best way to tell a guy that he was being a royal douche. 

Shuhua hopped off and grabbed a box from the shelves, holding it close to her chest. “We are getting Frosted Flakes.” She said with authority. 

“No we are not.” Soojin tucked her phone in the back pocket of her jeans, leaving the guy on read, and approached the now pouting Shuhua. “You don’t need any more sugar.” 

She reached for the box to put it back, but Shuhua stuck her tongue out and shifted her body to block the attempt.

“Shushu, you started and finished the last box in one night.” 

“So?” Shuhua said innocently. Her puppy eyes were now out in full force, which was totally unfair. Honestly, there were a lot of things that Soojin would do for them. 

An elderly couple appeared at the other end of the aisle, and their cart was blocking the way. Soojin moved it to the side and both of them gave a friendly wave before returning to the matter at hand.

“Whatever. You better do your laundry later though, I swear to God I find your dirty underwear underneath my bed almost every day now.” 

She wasn’t lying. At this point, both of their wardrobes had blended into one giant mosh pit in the middle of their room. In fact, Shuhua was currently wearing a stolen light blue hoodie. Of course, it looked better on her. 

A massive grin formed on the younger girl’s face as she went to place the family-sized box of sugary goodness into the cart, making sure to give her unnie a quick peck. 

But when Shuhua turned around, and saw the bright red cheeks that had appeared on Soojin’s face, she went back for seconds. And thirds. Possibly even fourths. They lost count after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Nevies! I was watching some youtube video's by the channel Alydle, and it really inspired me to do a Sooshu pairing, which is quickly becoming my favorite one. Thank you guys so much for the comments and kudos, it means a lot. Honestly, I'm very new to kpop. I only got into it two weeks ago through K/DA, and I don't speak Korean at all but I'm trying to learn. (G)I-DLE was just so easy to fall in love with. I'm trying my best to learn all the lingo and kpop culture in general. Honestly might be pumping out these little drabbles/scenes almost daily. Peace and love.


	5. the way your eyes glow (in the dark)

Soojin shifted uncomfortably in her black silky dress, subconsciously adjusting the straps as she gazed out the window of the cab. Her stilettos were absurdly uncomfortable. The face of her smart watch displayed the time, 11:15, she was already late. The party started fifteen minutes ago. Her stupid boss at work made her stay an hour behind to clean up. And yes, it was New Years Eve. 

Using her reflection on the back of her phone, she quickly applied her trademark red lipstick and tried to make sure that her hair didn’t resemble the butt end of a broom. 

She was on her way to the apartment of her friend, Yuqi, who basically had to get down on her knees to convince Soojin to come. 

Soojin wasn’t exactly a party animal. She would be the first one to tell you that she was an introvert. The idea of drinking alcohol and blacking out didn’t exactly appeal to her. Neither did the concept of being in a confined space with a bunch of people she barely knew. But she owed Yuqi for skipping last year. 

The cab stopped in front of a luxurious complex in the middle of the downtown district. Yuqi’s parents were politicians, and had paid for her to stay in one of the penthouses instead of the college dorms. Soojin had visited a couple times before, and the chandelier alone was probably worth more than her entire existence. 

She thanked the driver and wished him a happy new year before stepping through the grand rotating doors of the lobby. 

“Hello miss.” A kind hearted receptionist said behind a thick mahogany desk. The name on her gold tag had Shuhua displayed in dark capital letters. She was the only one there. “Are you here for a party?”

She spoke in such a soft tone that Soojin almost missed what she said. “Errr yea but I’m a bit late. It’s Song Yuqi’s.” 

Soojin couldn’t help but feel bad for her. It wasn’t right that she was stuck down here without anybody to celebrate with. “Do you want to come with me?”

The receptionist placed her right on her chest and took a step back. “Huh? Me? No, no, no. I have to work.”

“Come on, nobody will care. I only know one person there anyways.” Soojin held her hand out. “It’s almost midnight, we might miss the ball drop.” 

Shuhua stared wide-eyed at Soojin, and then gestured to her receptionist uniform. “I can’t show up wearing this, I’ll look stupid.” 

It was at that moment that she knew that all of this was meant to be. In her purse was an old dress of Yuqi’s that she had left at her dorm a couple weeks ago. They seemed to be around the same size, and she knew that Yuqi wouldn’t care. 

Soojin took out the pearly white dress and placed it in Shuhua’s hands. “Put this on, I’ll wait for you.” 

The way that she instantly froze made Soojin want to die for her, even if she barely knew her.

“I’m waiting.” 

Shuhua sucked in the sides of her face like a baby seal, and zipped into the backroom, causing Soojin to laugh. 

She returned a minute later…and looked like a fallen angel from heaven. The white cloth accentuated her curves perfectly, and her dark hair was tied back in the cutest bun, allowing some of her strands to hang loose. Her cheeks were a dusty light pink. But the best part was her eyes, a pair of brilliant stars. 

“Wow.” Was all Soojin could say, immediately becoming self-conscious of her own outfit. 

“It’s not too bad, right?” Shuhua in an endearing manner as she gave herself a little twirl in front of the nearby mirror. “I haven’t worn a dress in a while.” 

“Y—You look amazing.” Butterflies were starting to form in her stomach for no reason. Soojin tried to not stare too hard at the way the dress revealed a good portion of her cleavage, but she couldn’t help it. She was in a state of panic. 

They made their way to the elevator, and Soojin pushed the button for the 44th floor. Up close, Shuhua smelled like freshly picked roses. “I’m Soojin, by the way.” She said awkwardly. 

“Shuhua.”

Soojin took a deep breath and tucked her arm around hers. “It’s nice to meet you.”

As she expected, Yuqi’s place was absolutely packed with people. The air felt like it was ten degrees warmer, making it hard to breath. Soojin didn’t spot Yuqi in the crowd, so she led Shuhua over to one of the back corners that had a couple drinks. 

“This is a little much.” Soojin said over the screaming voices as she poured two cups of the punch. 

Shuhua nodded frantically and wrapped her arms across her body, clearly freaked out by the sheer volume of craziness. Soojin was starting to feel the same way. 

So, she decided to make an executive decision. “Let’s go to the balcony.” 

Soojin took Shuhua’s clammy hand as they bobbed and weaved through the moshpit that had begun to form in front of the TV. According to the fancy clock mounted on the wall, there was one more minute left before the new year. 

The rhinestones on their dresses sparkled in the virgin moonlight that slipped through the cracks of the city skyline. Soojin glanced over at Shuhua, whose skin was now emitting an ethereal glow. 

“Is this better?” Soojin asked softly. 

“Yea.” Shuhua whispered as she scooted up right next to her on the railing. “It is.”

The muffled sounds of the party began to scream the countdown. 

_ 10...9… _

Soojin felt a tingle begin to build inside her throat.

_ 8...7...6… _

She looked over and saw Shuhua staring right back at her.

_ 5...4...3… _

Soojin closed her eyes.

_ 2...1...Happy New Years! _

And leaned in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. I'm addicted to Sooshu. I have spoken.


	6. nevermind

It started when Shuhua was only nine years old. The constant fighting between her parents that would last into the early hours of the morning. It would happen again. And again. And again.

“I’m scared, unnie.” She murmured into the shoulder of her next door neighbor as the muffled yells escaped through the apartment walls. The two of them sat on Yuqi’s bed, with their small feet dangling off the ends. The lights were turned off in the room. 

Yuqi wrapped her arm around her. “It’ll be ok.” 

Even at such a young age, Yuqi knew that she was her anchor. Shuhua had all but moved into her family’s apartment, only going back to her own place for meals and to use the toilet. 

Yuqi remembered when Shuhua used to be happy, when they would hold hands on their way down to the playground by the parking lot. But now, she was a shadow of her past self. She barely spoke. She barely ate. It was scary. It wasn’t fair.

“Do you think it will stop?” Shuhua said into the darkness, her voice on the brink of collapse.

“It’ll be ok.” Yuqi wasn’t sure if she had said the right thing. She didn’t want to give Shuhua false hope, but she couldn’t tell her to lose hope either. She wished that she was old enough to protect her. To provide for her. “It’ll be ok, Shushu.”

The voices of her parents went quiet, and for a second, all they heard were the soft sounds of their breaths. 

“Yuqi?” Shuhua asked while leaning in even closer. 

“Yeah?”

There was another moment of silence.

“Nevermind.”

-Ω-

Shuhua’s parents finally divorced when she was thirteen. 

That day, Yuqi opened the door and took her in. She didn’t shed a single tear that entire night. She was exhausted. Yuqi fed her seaweed soup, and they watched their favorite cartoons until Shuhua fell asleep on her lap. 

Or at least she thought Shuhua was asleep, until she suddenly spoke up. “I don’t think I’ll ever see him again.” She said, referring to her father. Her mother had won the battle over custody. “It looked like he didn’t even care.”

At this point, Yuqi knew that she didn’t want her pity. She just embraced the younger girl in her arms, and laid themselves down on the bed they had shared for countless nights. 

Shuhua curled herself up in a ball, and allowed Yuqi to hold her close. She could feel Shuhua’s rapid heartbeat against her hand, and the silent shudders that controlled her body. 

“I don’t want to go back.” Shuhua whispered. “I want to stay here.”

She knew that her parents would be fine with Shuhua moving in permanently. They were the ones that actually proposed it, but Shuhua had turned them down. 

Yuqi brought her hand to Shuhua’s cheek, and gently stroked it back and forth, feeling the warmth of her skin.

“Yuqi?” Shuhua asked.

She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. “Yeah, Shushu?”

“Nevermind.”

-Ω-

Shuhua was eighteen when she graduated high school.

Yuqi was there, recording the ceremony from the bleachers. 

Shuhua was twenty-two when she went to her first therapy session. 

Yuqi was there, waiting for her in the lobby. 

Shuhua was twenty-five when somebody asked her to marry her. 

Yuqi was there, down on one knee, with a ring in her hand. 

Shuhua had good days and bad days. 

Yuqi was there. She always was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Thank you for all the support on this collection! This one was inspired by a PJO one-shot I read a long time ago. Wish you all the best!


	7. one night

Miyeon remembered the feeling vividly. Endlessly falling, feeling dead and alive at the same time. It was addicting. She wanted more. She craved it. The way her veins throbbed while her heart rate climbed to infinity. The way her vision distorted the world around her as fireworks went off in her head. 

But now it was all over. One night, she had gone too far. Miyeon tousled with the tubes that ran underneath her hospital gown. The liquids slowly dripped from the IV bags into her bloodstream. 

Her eye sockets were sunken into her face from lack of sleep. Her skinny frame had somehow managed to shrink even more. She was less than a hundred pounds now, at eighteen years of age. 

She should have been dead. Her father had found her unconscious on the bottom of their bathtub, pale white and not breathing. A miracle is what they had called it. She didn’t see it that way. Yet. 

The mounted screen on her left showed her EKG and resting heart rate. The blinds of her windows were closed shut. A small plate containing half a sandwich and a bag of chips remained untouched on the bedside table. The glass of water had gone stale. 

Miyeon’s fingers tapped against the hard plastic surface rapidly. Her anxiety was overriding every system in her body. The numbers on the screen began to climb. She pumped her fist, watching the spikes appear as they reacted to the sudden movements. 

_ Knock. Knock. _

A head of blonde hair appeared from the crack in the door. She didn’t look like her normal nurse, although the low visibility made it difficult to tell. She wasn’t wearing a long white coat. 

“Are you Cho Miyeon?” 

“Pretty sure.” Miyeon answered dejectedly, not looking forward to another chalky questioning session. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m your new therapist. You can call me Minnie.”

Great. Another one. How many had she been through at this point? Too many. And how many had actually worked? None.

“Ok.”

Minnie frowned at the closed blinds and briskly walked across the room. Miyeon threw the covers over her head as she flipped them open.

Minnie then positioned herself in the corner of the room on a small stool. “You need sunlight. It’s important for your overall health.” 

“I would be getting some if I wasn’t trapped here like some sort of lab rat.” Miyeon spat back. 

The new lighting did give her a chance to fully study the newcomer. She didn’t look like a therapist at all. In fact, she looked like she was her own age. Instead of wearing pruned up stilettos and a suit, she had on sneakers, sweatpants and a hoodie. Her hair was let down, and her bangs fritted over her eyebrows. 

“That’s not what your father said.” Minnie pointed to her clipboard, which was filled with lines of scribbles. “He said you almost never go outside now.”

Miyeon didn’t respond. What good was it going to do if all she did was tell her how she was wrong?

Somehow, Minnie managed to read her mind. “I’m going to only ask you one question, and after that I won’t talk for the rest of our allotted time. Do we have a deal?”

Miyeon shrugged her shoulders. “Deal.”

Minnie set her notes down on the coffee table and leaned back. “What do you love most about your mother?”

She was completely thrown off guard. She was not expecting her to jump to the exact reason why she had begun taking drugs, her mother. No other therapist had ever asked her that before. She was at a loss for words.

“I —I don’t know.” She responded weakly. 

Minnie stayed true to her word and said nothing. Many minutes passed before Miyeon talked again.

“I miss the way she smelled.”

Her focus shifted to the singular potted plant on the windowsill which contained a dahlia, her favorite flower. Then the words began to pour out. 

“The way she used to hold me. She was the only one I let tickle me in my weak spot. Most of the time she was my only friend. She would always take me to the park on Tuesday afternoons. Afterwards we would get ice cream from this shop named Rita’s, and we would sit on the boardwalk and count red colored cars.”

Miyeon paused when she realized that burning hot tears were running down the sides of his face. She wiped them off before continuing. 

“On rainy days, we used to put on our rain boots and make tidal waves with the puddles. When I turned nine, Dad and her took me to Disney. The picture that Dad took of her and I standing in front of Animal Kingdom used to be my background.”

The streams of tears had turned into a waterfall of emotions. 

“After school, I would always sit with her in the workshop and watched the way she moved her fingers across the machines. On the days that Dad was drunk and angry, she distracted me by playing Star Wars on her work laptop. I watched every single Star Wars movie with her six times.”

Miyeon stopped. She couldn’t say anymore.

“Can I come back again, tomorrow?” Minnie asked softly.

Miyeon didn’t know if was able to form words, so she only nodded and silently watched her leave the room.

It was a start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo comeback dropped today! My favorites are MOON and Dahlia probably but the mv was amazing. Self-produced (G)I-DLE >>>>>>. This chapter was kinda dark, but I hoped you enjoyed it. Take care.


	8. sleepy

For the entirety of their teenage years, and most of their twenties, Shuhua and Soojin had barely gotten any sleep. Their lives had been dictated by their company, and the schedule that they had to follow. This being only one of the many fallbacks of idol status. 

But those days were long gone, and they were now free to enjoy their time in a relatively private matter. 

The two of them were finally together, and had moved to Shuhua’s home country of Taiwan, just like they talked about in a random v-live many years ago. Soojin had applied and was granted Taiwanese citizenship, it was everything that they had ever hoped and dreamed of. 

Soyeon and Miyeon had teamed up to start their own agency, thus becoming the youngest to ever do so. The ultimate power duo. Yuqi decided to move back to her home in China, and already had an adorable baby girl with her husband who was an Olympic swimmer. A gigantic US label offered Minnie a chance to pursue a solo English career right after (G)I-DLE ended their run, and she was currently working on her debut album. 

Even though they had all gone their separate ways, they made a promise to meet up at least twice a year, to sing and dance together. Everything was perfect. 

The time off made Shuhua and Soojin realize all the things they had missed out on, things that would usually be considered “normal” by regular people. They never had to study for exams in university in the library, or meet and interact with other people their age on a consistent basis. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Learning how to file taxes was a nightmare. But they enjoyed the newfound feeling of independence.

Like many would have guessed, Shuhua was  _ not _ a morning person. She was the definition of a night owl, opting to stay up late at night reading her favorite books. Soojin was her complete opposite, choosing to take a morning walk in the nearby park as the Sun rose, and listen to the waking sounds of nature.

“Shushu.” Soojin mumbled from the pile of blankets on the bed. “Bedtime.”

Shuhua glanced at her watch, which told her it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. “It’s too early.”

The pile began to roll gracelessly towards the desk, and Soojin’s adorable face appeared in between the folds. “Shushu.”

“Soosoo.” Shuhua said back, her eyes not leaving the page of her riveting spy novel.

“Bedtime.”

“Jin-ah, it’s only ten.”

Soojin extended her arm and tugged on the hem of Shuhua’s dress. Shuhua reluctantly didn’t fight back as she was pulled from her chair onto the mattress. 

After a playful tussle, Shuhua settled her head in the crook of Soojin’s neck, and hummed affectionately as Soojin’s hands began to run up and down the sides of her back.

“Do you want to walk with me in the park tomorrow? We can get breakfast at the cute little bakery by the flower shop.” Soojin asked hopefully as she ran her hair through Shuhua’s silky strands.

“Only if you promise to binge watch the new Netflix show with me afterwards.”

Soojin wrapped her arms around Shuhua’s waist, and closed her eyes. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Realism in this one, inspired when Shuhua and Soojin were talking about them moving to Taiwan in a v-live.


	9. puppy love

Yuqi tried to calm her racing heart as she entered the house silently, and made her way to the kitchen where Soyeon was busy fixing them dinner. 

Thankfully, Soyeon’s back was turned to her at the sink. The two small puppies were clenched tightly behind her back. It was a miracle that they hadn’t made a sound yet. 

“Ruff.” 

She silently cursed as Soyeon let the dirty dish drop to the bottom of the sink, and whipped around to face her girlfriend. 

Yuqi breathed in and out before bringing the two dogs around, so that they were visible. One was a musty grey and the other was a light gold. In her opinion, they were the most adorable things on the planet. 

“Soyeon, hear me out.” Yuqi pleaded. “I think th—”

“No.” Soyeon said sternly, cutting her off.    


“Soyeon.”

“No.” Soyeon shook her head and went back to washing the grime off the ceramic plates. “We don’t have any money for two dogs, Yuqi. We barely get by as it is.”

It was a fair point, the two of them had only just graduated medical school a couple months ago, and the student loans were no joke. But their life had been stressful for so long, she figured they could use a little sunshine. 

Yuqi let the squirming puppies out of her hands onto the tile floor in a last ditch effort. The curious creatures immediately began to sniff a pathway straight for Soyeon.

“They’re rescues, the shelter had no idea who their previous owners were. They got delivered in a cardboard box two weeks ago. Both are already vaccinated, potty trained and everything.” 

Soyeon could pretend that she was still tough, but Yuqi knew that she was starting to cave in based on her posture. The dogs were now licking innocently at her legs. 

“I have their food, beds, and water bowls in the trunk of the car. I kept the receipts so I can still return them, I guess.” Yuqi said somberly, lacing in layers of sadness that cut through the remains of Soyeon’s iron will. 

“Oh my god.” Soyeon sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat as she bent down and picked up the fluffy bundles of joy. “Fine, whatever.”

Yuqi squealed and immediately embraced Soyeon in a bear hug, squishing the puppies between them as she gave her a sloppy kiss on the mouth. 

“What are their names?” Soyeon said as she broke the embrace, and held them up Simba-style. The smile that was now plastered on her face told Yuqi that she had made the right decision. She already looked visibly more relaxed then she had in weeks. 

“Haku and Mata.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally did a Yuyeon story, hope you enjoyed it.


	10. bookworm

Soojin was bored out of her mind. Never could she have guessed that she would be working in a bookstore of all places. A bookstore. It was the only job that would hire an aspiring vocal artist who had classes at obscene hours of the day and an unnaturally high craving for cheez-its.

The job didn't really require her to do much either. Most of the customers consisted of sixty year-old women that managed to find their way to the hole-in-the-wall bookstore after a nightly bingo session. They mainly stuck to themselves, occasionally one or two of them struck up a friendly conversation with her about the weather or their fifteen Siamese cats.

To pass the time, Soojin actually perused the shelves herself, picking a random book and attempting to read past the first chapter. By now, she had made his way through the entire science-fiction section, and was now giving romance a shot.

In fact, she was so engrossed in her pre-owned copy of John Green's _The Fault in Our Stars,_ that she didn't noticed the new customer that was standing directly in front of her.

"Excuse me."

Soojin looked up, expecting to have to tell yet another old lady that they didn't have a restroom, and was shocked to see an attractive young woman with striking black hair and bright brown eyes.

"Uh...hello."

The girl shifted on her feet and tucked a couple strands behind her ear. She was cute. Really cute. So much so that Soojin immediately felt self-conscious about the outfit she was wearing. Did people still find baggy hoodies attractive?

"Hi, I was wondering if you guys had any books on unicorns."

Soojin almost fell out of her seat. Was this person for real?

"Unicorns?" Soojin asked, unsure if she had heard her right.

The cute girl nodded her head in confirmation. "Unicorns."

Soojin was at a complete loss for words. The girl looked at her intently, awaiting her response like she hadn't just asked the single strangest question of all-time.

"...Let me see what I can find."

She guessed that they were around the same age, which would mean that she was in college as well. And she wanted a book specifically about unicorns? Was this some sort of new fashion or trend that she was completely unaware of? It wasn't unheard of for Seo Soojin to be caught living under a rock.

Being the absolute pro bookstore employee that she was, Soojin led them over to the young adult section in the hopes of finding something on the fly.

Her eyes scanned the colored spines of the books rapidly, searching for any indication of unicorns in their titles. She was saved when she finally located _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_. She had read it a couple weeks ago and knew for a fact there was a scene with a unicorn in it, even though it was rather brief. The overall book itself was actually quite enjoyable. Witchcraft and wizardry. Who didn't like that?

"Here we are, this book's about a school of magic, and there's at least one chapter that mentions a unicorn. I'm sorry, it's all I got for you." She said sheepishly as she handed her the worn-out paperback.

To her delight, the mystery girl seemed elated and a gorgeous smile appeared on her face. Her plump cheeks were adorable. "Thank you."

Soojin decided that she was definitely _not_ like the other girls she had encountered before. The girls she knew would have gone bald and shaved their eyebrows off before stepping inside a bookstore (not that she really blamed them).

What came next caused an even bigger shock to her system.

"I like your eyes." The girl said softly. "They're a very pretty color."

This marked the second time in as many minutes that Soojin was rendered dumbfounded and speechless. No female had ever given her such a complement before, save for her mother, but that didn't really count. And they were just brownish-black, the last time she checked. 

"Thank you." Soojin blinked twice and scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "I like your hair."

Wow, what a response. She could see the headlines now, a local bookstore employee dies of embarrassment. How was it that she seemed to lose the ability to talk randomly around pretty women? What had she done to deserve such a fate?

Surprisingly, the weak compliment earned her another smile. "Thank you. My name is Shuhua."

"Soojin."

She cringed at their clumsy handshake, that felt a little too long. Shuhua smelled like freshly cut flowers, which was a refreshing scent after spending hours surrounded by yellowing paper and dust.

"How much is it?"

"What?"

"The book, how much is it?"

Soojin had completely forgotten about why they were there to begin with. The smooth talking version inside of her saw the golden gate of opportunity appear and took it.

"Tell you what, it's free. But you have to promise me that you'll come back here once you finish it and tell me about it."

They shook hands again, but this time it felt natural, like they had done so a hundred times before.

"Deal."

-Ω-

It turned out that meeting Shuhua was a blessing and a curse. Every time Soojin showed up to work, she carried a hopeful excitement that today would be the day that she returned. However, with each passing swing of the door, her optimism fell lower and lower to the point that she completely forgot about her existence. It had been two months since she last visited.

Was it stupid to be hungover about a girl that she had said maybe said ten total words too? Possibly. The only option left was to drown himself in her guilty pleasure of sriracha cheez-its and tear-jerking novels.

Soojin didn't bother looking up from her book when she heard the bell chime, announcing that a new customer had arrived. You couldn't blame her, though, she was at the saddest point of the whole novel. It was crazy how a piece of paper and printed words could make somebody cry. _Looking for Alaska_ was almost as good as _The Fault in Our Stars_. John Green was out of this world.

"Finished." The familiar faint voice said.

Soojin looked up, and her heart caught itself in her throat when she saw Shuhua holding the book in her hands, and a regretful look on her face.

"Sorry it took me so long to come back...would you like to grab a coffee with me?"

Working at a bookstore had its clear pros and cons. She was stuck inside a dingy place that had a half-working heater all night, and the rickety office chair she sat on was starting to give her mild arthritis. The pay wasn't all that great either, and neither was the Wi-Fi reception. But the cute, adorable bookworm that enjoyed reading stories where magical ponies battled imperial titans made it all worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for so much sooshu, it's just my favorite lol.


	11. our future pt. 1

[Camera starts recording…]

"Hi Neverland, it’s Shuhua here. Sorry it’s been a long time since I gave you guys a V-Live update on how our lives are going, now that we’re retired. Miyeon and I miss you guys so much, that’s for sure."

"My English has gotten a lot better, hopefully. It’s been pretty hard to study since I’m still so busy."

"I guess this video doubles as an announcement video for those who haven’t seen our posts on Instagram. Miyeon and I are getting married! Wooooo!"

 _Flexes the engagement ring on her finger_. 

"I’m sorry she isn’t here to say hello, I think she’s grocery shopping right now or something I don’t know."

 _Reads a comment about what she’s been up to lately_ . _Haku and Mata can be heard barking in the other room_. 

"Miyeon and I have started growing a big flower garden on our rooftop, I’m not too good at watering them all the time. We still sing and dance to the new kpop comebacks, although our bodies can’t move the way they used to anymore."

"I’ve gotten better at cooking too. Soojin and Minnie unnie teach me everytime they come over to our apartment."

 _Somebody asks how Soyeon and Yuqi are_. 

"Soyeon is working on starting a new talent agency, and I’m not sure if this is a spoiler but they might be making a duo mini-album too."

_What are you guys going to name your kids?_

"Haha what are we going to name our kids? I don’t know really, what do you guys think?"

_The oven starts to beep in the background._

"I’ll be right back guys! I need to make sure the meat doesn’t burn!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I don't know what this is. I'm writing this right now during my chemistry lecture. This one was inspired by mcgidlesandwich. If you want to talk about gidle fanfics or gidle in general, join my discord. https://discord. gg/eT2gbYRjM8. Or not, whatever you want. Hope everybody has a great day.


	12. our future pt. 2

_ The door behind the camera opens, and Miyeon appears on the screen, along with Haku and Mata.  _

“Oh, Shuhua was doing a v-live without me? Neverland!!! Hi!!! Sorry I look like such a mess, I had to run and get some more pork for tonight’s dinner. And look, I’m wearing Shuhua’s black crocs.”

_ Miyeon sees all the congratulations for the engagement in the comments.  _

“Aww, thank you guys. I’m not really sure when it’s going to happen, we haven’t really started planning or anything. What do you guys think, white or chocolate cake?”

_ The dogs force their way onto the screen, and Miyeon grabs both of them. _

“Do you guys want to see my Aegyo? Huh? What, you don’t think I’m cute anymore?”

_ Shuhua opens the door from the kitchen, and tackles Miyeon onto the carpet floor. _

“Ah! Shuhua, stop! You’re getting too heavy for me.”

“Neverland!” Shuhua whines. “Don’t listen to Miyeon unnie!”

_ Haku and Mata run around them, wildly barking.  _

Miyeon squirms her way out from underneath Shuhua. “Unnie? I’m not your JinJin?” 

Shuhua shakes her head and sticks her tongue out playfully. “You’re still not Soojin.”

_ Now it's Miyeons turn to tackle Shuhua, and they roll over on top of the camera and the v-live cuts out.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, this is barely anything. If you want to read actually writing, go check out mcgidlesandwich. Adios pabos.


	13. shirt

“Soojin-ah!” Shuhua squealed as she pushed the older girl off her. 

The two of them took a moment to catch their breaths, but Soojin still kept her hand tucked underneath Shuhua’s soft chin. 

In Soojin’s mouth was a small piece of cloth, from the hem of Shuhua’s favorite green shirt. Maybe she had gotten a  _ little  _ too excited, but Shuhua was just too cute and adorable not to tackle onto the bed. 

Shuhua wrapped her arms around Soojin’s neck, and pulled her in for another round of hot and steamy kisses. 

“What am I going to tell Neverland about my shirt?”

Soojin unapologetically shrugged her shoulders and leaned forward. 

“The truth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet? Maybe? Idk.


	14. twenty seconds of courage

Twenty seconds of courage. 

That’s all her friends told her that she needed. Just twenty seconds of pure, unbridled courage. And there would be something great after it. 

But Minnie was starting to believe that the line between being courageous and desperate was a little bit closer than one might think. 

She had been waiting for the right time to ask Miyeon the big question. Right now, as they walked across the warm sands of the beach, seemed like that perfect moment. 

The setting sun casted a beautiful glow across her wife-to-be’s perfect face, highlighting the features that made Minnie fall for her all those years ago. 

Minnie almost jumped when Miyeon grabbed her hand, and started swinging it between them. Her heart rate was steadily climbing to dangerous levels. 

Twenty seconds…

Minnie suddenly stopped them midstride. “Miyeon.” 

“Hmm?” Miyeon said slowly, turning so that she was facing Minnie. 

“I’ve known you for how long? Since 2017 maybe? Almost ten years. And they’ve been without a doubt the best ten years of my life. Through all our ups and downs, you’ve been there for me every step of the way. And I want to spend the next however many ye—”

Miyeon threw herself onto Minnie, sending them both crashing into the beach in a wild heap of emotions. “Yes!” 

“Jagiya!” Minnie moaned, tears were already running down both their eyes. “You didn’t even let me fin—”

Miyeon shut her up for the second time with a kiss full on the lips, and Minnie couldn’t care less. 

The ring was a perfect fit, which made sense because Minnie measured her finger one day while she was napping. 

The wedding was absolutely wild. Yuqi had the entire place roaring with laughter as she told embarrassing stories during the dinner. Shuhua did typical Shuhua things. 

The honeymoon was… well it was a honeymoon. No need to go into details.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mimin supremacy.


	15. i love you

It was ten o’clock at night, and they were still in the studio. 

They had just finished up recording the last lines for their debut duo EP. But that was the easy part. Making sure that their voices matched the music was by far the more challenging aspect. 

“Come on, Soyeon.” Yuqi cooed while rubbing her shoulders. “We should get some rest, we can work on this tomorrow morning.”

Soyeon stubbornly shook her head and took another sip of her iced coffee. “Lemme just finish this part real quick. Go rest on the couch, I’ll wake you up when I’m done.”

“You promise?”

“Promise.”

Yuqi curled herself up into a ball on the soft cushion, and watched Soyeon work tirelessly on her craft. The girl was a perfectionist, and wouldn’t stop until she knew it was one-hundred percent the way she wanted it to be. 

Eventually, Yuqi nodded off, only to wake up two hours later at midnight to find Soyeon still at the computer. 

“Soyeon?”

“Just another minute, Yuqi.”

It felt wrong sleeping without Soyeon’s arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Yeah she liked being the little spoon, so what. 

Yuqi drifted into a light doze, and before she knew it, the time on her phone read two AM. 

Soyeon was still working. And she had gotten another drink apparently. 

“Soyeon?”

“I’m still finishing things up.”

Yuqi tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. “But you said that last time.”

“Why don’t you just go home, Yuqi? I’ll meet you there.” Soyeon said with a slight hint of annoyance, but Yuqi knew she didn’t mean it like that. 

“Because I love you.” That got Soyeon’s undivided attention. “And you need to get some sleep too.”

Yuqi watched as Soyeon saved and closed her work, before turning off the lights in the room. Yuqi repositioned herself on the couch so that Soyeon could slide in right behind her. 

Soyeon gave Yuqi a small kiss on the back of her head. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuyeon? Yuyeon.


	16. emergency

Soojin didn’t know what the hell she was doing. 

She stood alone, in the middle of the health aisle at the local Walgreens, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants and an ugly orange sweater. Oh, it was also three o’clock in the morning. 

Shuhua was having one of her ‘woman emergencies,’ and Soojin decided to be a good girlfriend and get her a new pack of tampons. 

The only problem was that she didn’t know Shuhua’s size. Yeah she knew what her  _ stuff _ looked like (and felt like), but it was hard to equate that knowledge into a categorical value. 

Soojin’s size was large, but she couldn’t decide whether Shuhua’s was as well. 

In the end, she grabbed a pack of mediums and quickly made her way back to their apartment, where her jagiya was not-so patiently waiting. 

The kiss made it worth it, though. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meep.


	17. new year

If there was anything Soojin hated more than malls, it was definitely airports. The rush of people who were going home for the holidays caused LAX to be a complete zoo. A rare, massive Northwestern snow system had moved in, delaying almost all of the outbound flights. To make matters worse, the person behind the counter, who was _supposed_ to give her a new flight, was being a royal ass.

"Are you serious?" Soojin said in disbelief to the clerk. "Eleven o'clock tomorrow morning? That's it?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, that's the earliest we got." The woman said with her own hint of frustration. "American Airlines apologizes for the inconvenience."

She gracelessly took the new ticket and stormed off into the cramped terminal. Her bad luck was unbelievable.

"Happy New Year, Soojin, enjoy being stuck in an airport all night." She said muttered sarcastically to herself as she tightened the straps of her stuffed backpack. "Only me."

After getting an overpriced cup of boba and sending a distressed text to her parents and little sister, Soojin started the search for a place to hole up in for the night. She needed to move fast if she wanted a spot next to an outlet.

A small moral victory was achieved when she was able to snag a seat in the back corner of one of the nearby gates. Soojin plugged her phone into the wall, checked her notifications one more time, and closed her eyes in a noble attempt to get some semblance of sleep.

Just over an hour later, she was pulled from her crazy dream about lightsaber wielding armadillos by a light tap on her shoulder and a soft voice in her ear.

"Excuse me." The voice paused for a moment. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry, I thought you were awake."

Soojin squinted at the blurry figure as her eyes readjusted to the bright lights of the airport. "Huh?" She griped.

When her vision finally cleared, she got an image of who they were. It was a girl, who looked to be around the same age as her, a college student. Strands of raven black hair poked out from random points under her grey beanie. She did like her eyes. They were a mix of chocolate and onyx. 

"Did you need something?" Soojin asked explicitly.

The girl's attention turned towards the seat next to her, which was occupied by her backpack. The tips of her ears were colored from embarrassment, which her look way cuter for some odd reason. "I was wondering if I could sit next to you, I haven't been able to find an empty seat."

Soojin looked around the terminal, scanning to see if she was telling the truth. She wasn't wrong, somehow the place had gotten even more packed.

"Yeah, sure."

Soojin scooted her bag underneath her feet and repositioned herself so that she was leaning to the other side.

"Thank you so much, sorry for disturbing you." The girl said with a grateful smile as he settled in. The large blue hoodie that she was wearing looked obscenely comfortable compared to her own rough windbreaker. She really needed to invest some money into a new wardrobe.

Soojin nodded her head silently in response and tried to fall back asleep. Unfortunately, the rapid up and down motion of the man's bouncing leg was preventing her from doing so.

She opened her eyes again only to find him in the middle of an intense game of PUBG.

"Can you stop moving your leg?"

The girl's face once again lit up with hues of red and she turned off his phone. "Sorry."

Soojin immediately felt guilty and sat up. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

She shrugged his shoulders. "It's been a long day for everyone, I understand."

They sat in an uncomfortable silence after that, neither of them willing to initiate further conversation.

"My name is Minnie." She finally said with a lopsided smile that Soojin found annoyingly endearing.

"Soojin."

She decided that she might as well try to befriend somebody while she was stuck here.

"Where are you headed to, Soojin?" Minnie asked as she adjusted the sides of her beanie.

Soojin sighed and stared at the raging snow storm from the massive airport windows. "I was headed back to Korea before this crap happened. What about you?"

"Thailand."

She let the brief conversation end there, she wasn't sure what else to talk about. Soojin wasn't what you would call a very interesting person. Introvert was probably the correct term.

"I'm hungry." Minnie said with brash authority moments later.

"Ok?" Soojin deadpanned. Was he expecting her to magically make food appear? She wasn't some goddess.

Minnie got up to stretch his legs, emitting an earth-shattering yawn in the process. She looked like an anorexic T-Rex with way too much energy. "Do you want to get food?

There was no chance Soojin was going to risk having her seat be taken. "I'm good, thanks."

"Can you save my spot again at least?"

"Sure."

Soojin moved her bag back onto the seat and tried to fall asleep again, it would definitely be a while before she returned.

An unknown amount of time passed before she was gently shaken awake, only to see Minnie holding a greasy McDonald's bag in front of her face.

"I got some food for you too."

Normally Soojin would've been extremely pissed off to be woken up, she didn't even like fast food, but she seemed so genuine and kind-hearted. It was impossible to be mad at her.

"Thank you." Soojin said through a yawn.

She gave Minnie permission to move her backpack to the carpeted floor and watched as she happily ripped open the bag and started to distribute the food. The smell of freshly fried chicken nuggets made her stomach growl.

"Wait, it's twelve!" Minnie exclaimed with a mouthful of chicken. "Happy New Year!"

Soojin was almost too tired to dip her nugget in the tub of honey mustard. "Happy New Year."

It turned out that McDonald's tasted fantastic at twelve in the morning, but it also put her into a food coma.

When she woke up the next morning, somebody had written something on a sticky note and pasted it to her arm.

"Hey, didn't want to wake you up again. Thanks for keeping me company. ###-###-####. - Minnie"

Soojin may have called the number. Soojin may have talked to her about their favorite youtubers, music, and guilty pleasures for hours. Soojin might have moved to Thailand eventually. Soojin might have married her a couple years later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy lunar new year!


	18. blind date

Soyeon looked at the fancy clock on the wall, and then checked her phone. A quarter till eight. Forty-five minutes past their agreed meet-up time at the restaurant. At this point, she was forced to accept that she had just gotten stood up.

He seemed like a genuine, charming guy when she met him down by the pier the other day. His smile was easy going, and she found the scar that ran down the side of his face rather attractive.

But like most other boys she'd met in her life, he turned out to be a total jackass. Nice.

He didn't even have the balls to shoot her a heads-up text. She didn't even need an explanation, just a simple, "Hey I can't make it tonight," would have sufficed.

"Can I get you something to drink while you wait, ma'am?" The waitress, who's name she learned was Yuqi, asked her for the fifth time that night. She had declined each of her previous attempts.

Yuqi was an unexplainable mixture between a panda and teddy bear. Or maybe just a gigantic panda bear stuffed animal. Either way, it made her extremely endearing.

Soyeon still held out, which didn't make any sense. "No thank you, I'm going to wait until he arrives."

"No problem ma'am, but if he doesn't show up in the next fifteen minutes, I'm going to have to ask you to leave unless you order. We can't have people holding tables for over an hour, especially on Saturday's."

She looked around the crowded restaurant, and nodded in understanding.

"I'll be back in a couple, wave your hand if you need anything." Yuqi gave her a kind smile before whisking away to serve another table, where a couple sat, happily conversing over their meal.

A minute past. Then five minutes. Ten minutes. Until finally, the hands of the clock hit eight.

She started to pack up her stuff to leave once she saw Yuqi approaching.

"There's no need to do that, ma'am."

Soyeons's eyebrows shot up when she realized that she was carrying two plates of food. And her serving apron was off, leaving her in a white collared shirt and dress pants.

"But, I didn't order anything?"

"I know, ma'am." Yuqi said as she set them down on the table. "I did."

She stared at her stupidly for a moment before it clicked.

"Oh, ok." Soyeon pushed her bag back underneath the table and straightened her hair subconsciously.

Upon further inspection, Yuqi was quite gorgeous. Her jawline was immaculate. Soyeon had to stop herself from reaching out and touching the top of Yuqi's head. Her ponytail looked so inviting.

Their conversation started out like most blind dates, awkward and uncomfortable. It took Soyeon a while to convince Yuqi that she didn't need to call her, "ma'am," every time. Once the ice broke, however, it was like they were two best friends that hadn't seen each other in forever.

She ended up talking about a lot of things that even her real best friends didn't know about, and Yuqi could probably say the same.

The dinner ended with a pair of full stomachs, wide smiles, and a promise to do it all again.


	19. firefly

Flowers. A tree. And the ocean.

That was her world. It was all she knew, and it was all she would ever know.

Because the Girl with dark brown eyes, and long black hair, was trapped in it.

There was nothing bright about the place, except for the blaze of the setting sun, and the glow of the rising moon. The hill on the north side held a small cave which she called home, and was the only rise on an otherwise smooth surface.

A singular pine stood in the middle of the island, surrounded by patches of azaleas and cherry blossoms. She called it the moon tree. Every full moon, it would grant her one wish.

Tonight was that special night.

She sat cross-legged on the shoreline, with her hands dug into the soft white sand of the beach. The cold waves lapped at her toes, as she watched the stars start to appear in the sky above.

Over the hundreds of years, she realized that there were certain limitations to the tree's powers. She couldn't ask for different food, and could only eat the fish and seaweed that she caught and harvested. It wouldn't let her change the weather either, make the island bigger, or grow a second tree. But it could grant her new clothes and sheets, or instruments for her to play.

She learned early on that if she tried to ask the tree more than once, it wouldn't give her anything at all. And she would have to wait two cycles till she could wish again.

The Girl got up and waded into the water just as the full moon reached its apex. The sensations that came every time she performed the ritual were ethereal. It started at her feet, to her thighs, stomach, then the sides of her throat, and exited in the form of white smoke that left a sweet taste in her mouth.

There was no sense in hiding the overwhelming feelings of sorrow and despair behind her calm complexion. Her expression became shaky as tears formed, and quickly trickled down her fair skin before joining their salty brethren in the ocean.

All she wanted was for it to be over. To be free at last. To be free forever.

There was one thing that she had yet to ask.

"I wish...I wish to leave."

Almost immediately the sky became a dazzling crimson red. Pain that she had never felt before took control over her entire body, as if boiling acid was coursing through her veins.

She dropped to her hands and knees in blind agony, desperately clawing at her hair as a wicked scar branded itself over the left side of her face. The sounds of thunder roared in her ears, making her dizzy and disoriented, crashing against the walls of her skull. In the background, lightning clashed over the turbulent waters in a celestial dance to the death.

The last thing the Girl saw, before she blacked out, was the tree as it burst into flames.

-Ω-

When she finally regained consciousness, the tree was already burnt to a stump.

She cried for countless days and nights.

She feared that it would never regrow. There were no signs of life, until two years later, a small leaflet appeared from underneath the remains of the charred wood.

The Girl cared for and nurtured the young sapling dearly, rarely leaving its side except to hunt and defecate. It grew very rapidly, and when it formed its first bark in year five, she tried to wish again, but it didn't work.

She kept trying, every full moon, to no avail.

Tonight marked the tenth year since the Great Fire.

Once more she stood in the water, gazing at the constellations that colored the heavens as she waited for the moon to climax. Again the sensations came, and the white smoke exited her mouth.

Why not reach for the stars? It wasn't like the tree was going to work anyways.

"I wish… I wish to not be alone anymore."

The sky remained calm, and the waters unchanged. Nothing happened.

The Girl sighed heavily, turning around to head back to her barren rocky cave when the tree magically illuminated in front of her. Fireflies that she didn't know existed appeared in tenfold, multiplying and gathering around the base of the pine.

Her heart began to beat fast as she sprinted towards it, holding the hem of her tattered dress above waistline.

The tree had somehow returned to its original form, with no evidence that it had ever left. It's long, winding branches were identical in structure. Even the marks she had etched on it's torso eons ago had been brought back.

She studied the new creatures intently, letting a few of the stragglers land on her arms. They emitted a faint buzz that filled the air with ambient noise.

They were beautiful.

She was happy.

The Girl began to dance, and to her surprise, they bonded together to form a human-like figure.

Cautiously, she raised her arm, and the fireflies mimicked her movement. She took a step forward, and the fireflies did the same, following her around the island and all the way back to the base of the tree.

She laughed in delight, thankful for her new friend.

When she reached her hand out, they did too. And they met each other in the middle.

She could feel a mysterious warmth on the surface of her palm, drawing her closer.

Then all of a sudden, the fireflies stiffened. And their lights died out.

The Girl was petrified that she had done something wrong. For a moment, everything stilled. She braced herself for the oncoming storm.

There was a blinding flash. And the fireflies disappeared.

In their place was another girl. With black eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really enjoyed writing this one, hope you liked it.


	20. kiss the chef

Seo Soojin came home to the smell of burning bread, the sounds of clattering metal and running water did nothing to calm her down. Neither did the wails of a crying toddler. She made straight towards the source. The kitchen. Her kitchen.

She quickly deposited her work bag on the living room couch, but kept the apron because God knew she was going to need it.

The moment she stepped inside her hal—once hallowed grounds, the bickering immediately turned to silence.

Soojin took a protracted moment to survey the entire situation. Shuhua, her loving wife, was planted firmly in the back corner, with her hands massaging her wrinkled brow. Sooyun, their beloved daughter, was laying on the counter half-naked, covered in breakfast cereal. And of course, their firstborn son, Jae, was in the middle of it all, with the most burnt pie she had ever seen resting in his hands.

Sooyun was the first to break the silence. "Mama!"

"Hey sweetie." Soojin said as she embraced her daughter, even if she was absolutely disgusting. "What are you doing here?"

"Pie!" Sooyun squealed as she opened her hands, unleashing a volley of Honey Nut Cheerios onto the floor. "Woooo!"

"I can see that." Soojin said with raised eyebrows. "Hello, Shuhua."

"We were baking a lemon pie." Shuhua explained by waving her hand over their creation. "But uh...things didn't work out the way we wanted it too."

Even though Shuhua wasn't the best cook, she certainly wasn't the worst in the family. Jae was practically blind and deaf when it came to trying to operate the kitchen, which was something that they really had to work on.

"Sorry, mama." Jae said sheepishly.

Did Soojin care? Not at all. She was just happy that they were all happy. And that's all that mattered. The mess was temporary. The memory was forever.

"What do you think, Sooyun? What should I do about this?" She asked her big baby while bopping her nose.

Instead of answering with words, Sooyun gave her a small little burp that made everybody in the room smile.

"I think she said that we're ok." Shuhua suggested bravely, holding two thumbs up as Soojin went in for a kiss. 

"Don't push your luck, Shushu."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you reached the end of this collection, thank you so much. I hope you all have a wonderful day.


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